The transposon Tn5 carries a gene designated ble that confers resistance to bleomycin (Bm). In this study, we determined the x-ray crystal structures of the ble gene product, designated BLMT, uncomplexed and complexed with Bm at 1.7 and 2.5 Å resolution, respectively. The structure of BLMT is a dimer with two Bm-binding pockets composed of two large concavities and two long grooves. This crystal structure of BLMT complexed with Bm gives a precise mode for binding of the antibiotic to BLMT. The conformational change of BLMT generated by binding to Bm occurs at a -turn composed of the residues from Gln 97 to Thr 102 . Crystallographic analysis of Bm bound to BLMT shows that two thiazolium rings of the bithiazole moiety are in the trans conformation. The axial ligand, which binds a metal ion, seems to be the primary amine in the -aminoalanine moiety. This report, which is the first with regard to the x-ray crystal structure of Bm, shows that the bithiazole moiety of Bm is far from the metal-binding domain. That is, Bm complexed with BLMT takes a more extended form than the drug complexed with DNA.